Close but no Cigar
by XxXxDreamerxXxX
Summary: Lily and Lysander... best friends since anyone could remember. Could there more to it than that? Well, Lysander certainly hoped so. Lily/Lysander one-shot.


**Written as my second entry for the 'Lyric Challenge' and for the 'Romance Challenge'. My song was Halo by Beyonce and my prompts were board games, mismatched, and pajama pants.**

**Disclaimer- Let's just say that if I was JK Rowling, the series would be called 'Draco Malfoy', not 'Harry Potter'.**

A normal teenage Wizard's idea of a date? Dinner and a moonlight broomride. Lily and Lysander's idea of a date? Board games.

Well, it wasn't technically a date nor were they technically dating. That was just how Lysander liked to think of it. Ginny and Luna, however, had the annoying habit of calling it a playmate. They clearly didn't get the concept of 'fifteen already!'. Harry wasn't so keen on the idea his baby girl almost alone with a slightly older boy, whether that boy was practically family or not. That's why he still thought that Lily was at her Aunt Hermione's and Uncle Ron's with her brothers instead of staying at Luna's.

Lysander was lounging on his couch, wishing that it was more 'date' and less 'play'. Not that he minded board games, he just wished they could be more intimate than a few games of Monopoly. He couldn't help but keep up that deluded fantasy, even though he was best friends with his romantic interest for years without much sign of a change. _Merlin, I sound like every cheesy Muggle movie ever made,_he thought to himself, rolling his eyes. He, unlike many Wizards his age, watched Muggle movies with his family every once in awhile. _Typical. The guy likes the girl but she doesn't see it. The only difference is that _they_ get a happy ending together._

"Sorry I took so long," Lily said as she walked in with a rueful smile, interrupting Lysander's thoughts. She was already changed into casual pajamas for the remainder of the night while Lysander still had his jeans and Dancing Hippogriff's T-shirt.

Lily sat crossed-legged on the floor as she set up the board game. He slid off the sofa and silently aided her, smirking slightly as he noticed her Unicorn pajama pants and mismatched socks.

Lily swept her mane of red hair out of her face and the light from the lamp reflected on it, making it appear as though she had a brilliant reddish-gold halo on. Lysander sighed quietly to himself. Lily really was pretty, but that wasn't all that he loved about her. She just seemed so… perfect for him. She was everything he need and more, yet she never seemed to see that.

"You go first," Lily said, handing the dice to Lysander. Lysander didn't take the dice right away but held her hand in his for a few fleeting moments, and pulled away with slight satisfaction when he saw the faintest blush in her cheeks.

Before Lysander could throw the dice, Lily suddenly burst out, "Lysander, I need help."

Lysander raised his eyebrows, silently prompting her on. He wasn't so talkative, a lot like his dad. He found that silence can be the best thing in most situations.

Lily bit her lip then went on, another blush creeping up on her cheeks. "Well… I dunno. It's just- I've been feeling-" Lily paused and her color deepened. Lysander's heart leapt, could she possibly feel the same? "Well, let's just say there's this guy. And I like him… what should I do about it?"

Lysander kept his face smooth, not betraying the growing anticipation he was feeling. "Well, that depends. What guy is it?"

Lily smiled lightly. "Well… Okay, it's Simon Corner. I know it's kind of weird but he's nice."

Lysander's hopes plummeted. Of course, he should have known. Lily's been eyeing the handsome Ravenclaw for awhile, but he was so blind that he didn't notice. "Well I don't think I'm the right person to ask…" Lysander started hastily until he saw Lily's darkened expression. "But I'll try my best. He most likely likes you back, but you don't know that yet. I don't suggest asking him out just yet, not until you're certain." He didn't like giving Lily advice on how to get boys that weren't himself, but since there was little hope he shouldn't hold it against her.

Lily nodded thoughtfully, biting her bottom lip again. "Okay… but I have no way of knowing that he likes me. What then?"

"Well, he could ask you out first," Lysander suggested, liking this less and less every second. "He is smart that way."

Lily thinned her full lips. "Yeah, but I don't know! This is just all too confusing…" She sighed and trailed off. "Do you think our parents went through this when they were teenagers?"

Lysander shrugged. "Like I said, I'm no expert on this." He considered her second question. "Most likely… but maybe not quite the same." _Did_ his parents go through this? Was it possible that his dad once experienced the same thing with his mum but they eventually got together? _There's I go with the Muggle clichés again,_ he thought sadly.

"Thanks, 'Sander," Lily said, taking his empty hand for a few moments like himself previously. "It really means a lot, whether you knew what you were talking about or not."

"You're welcome," Lysander said lamely, gently taking his hand back and absentmindedly played with the game dice.

"I'm serious," Lily said, resting her hands in her lap and looking at him earnestly. "You're a great friend." She smiled genuinely at him, her pretty features alighted in her joy. She was so open to him… but not in the way he wanted.

Lysander threw the dice up in the air, watching as they made a high ark and landed on the game board again with a dull thud. He moved his small figure mechanically, dismissing what Lily said until he was done. Afterwards, he looked back up at Lily with a weak smile that didn't meet his eyes. "Yeah, great friend."

Lily leaned forward and pulled Lysander into a friendly hug while he patted her small back in turn. Once they pulled away, he saw her brown eyes dancing in happiness. As he looked at her, he realized too late that there _really_ wasn't any hope between the two of them, no potential to their relationship besides the mere fact that they were great _friends_. It was written all over her face.

_Well, I was close, _Lysander thought wryly, _but no cigar._

**(A/n)- This wasn't exactly based on the song Halo but there were about two fleeting lines from it so I think fit the standards. Just so you know, I love Lily/Lysander and they were the first thought I had when I got the prompts for some reason. Please review and tell me what you think!**


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